A super role for a superhero
Saad's Ms. Marvel `is not here for a diversity checkbox'
Sandra Saad had no idea she was auditioning to be a Marvel superhero. The casting call asked for a Muslim American, and Saad had been looking for roles that felt right to her. She rejects any script that makes non-white people seem like tokens.
She liked that this mystery character was a self-starter whose familial upbringing informs her future. Saad was drawn to Kamala Khan, also known as Ms. Marvel, before even knowing who she was. And she just happened to be of a similar ethnic background.
“She's a full character, a normal, great girl. She's not here for a diversity checkbox,” Saad said. “Tokenism is very harmful, and that's not what this character is. She's just living her life as a girl who just happens to be Muslim and happens to be Pakistani.”
Saad's performance, as well as the character of Ms. Marvel, is one of the more universally acclaimed features of the video game Marvel's Avengers. From Crystal Dynamics and director Shaun Escayg, it was released in early September and exceeded expectations.
The story says that at age 11, the would-be Avenger Kamala Khan wins a fanfiction writing contest hosted by the Avengers. A tragic event at the celebration, later known as A-Day, ends in the supposed death of Captain America and thousands of innocent Bay Area residents either dead or becoming superpowered “Inhumans.” Khan inherits powers to morph her body into any size, and the Avengers break up from the fallout.
Five years later, Khan is determined to find the truth of what happened that day and to get the Avengers back together. She finally finds a lost Avenger but it's Bruce Banner, who's lost control of his Hulk persona. The two slowly form a bond.
Unlike Mark Ruffalo's depiction of Banner in the films, the game's Banner (played by Troy Baker) is a tortured soul and Khan still suffers from the trauma of A-Day. The real fight of Marvel's Avengers is the inter- and intrapersonal conflict within each member of the team and each of the heroes.
“We had all those conversations about the similarities between Bruce and Kamala, and this uncertainty of, `OK am I weird or not? Is this cool or is it not? Am I saving people?'” Saad said. “They both struggle with this thing in them that they don't understand that's possibly monstrous. There's this great feeling of guilt for A-Day, and the Avengers feel responsible for what happened to Kamala and these Inhumans.”
The game and Kamala are funny. A road trip scene between the two leads has become a fan favourite.
In addition to her acting training, Saad has honed her comedic timing and chops with classes at The Groundlings and Upright Citizens Brigade.
“Eventually after the comedy training, I thought it was time to really start auditioning and getting serious because I have all these tools in my tool box,” Saad said. “Shortly after auditioning, I got this. I'm very, very thankful for these roles opening up these days with strong brown leads.”